


Unnecessary apology

by killerweasel



Series: Last Person You'd Expect [4]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-20
Updated: 2013-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-09 00:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/768059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/killerweasel/pseuds/killerweasel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sherlock wears out his welcome in less than a week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unnecessary apology

Title: Unnecessary apology  
Fandom: _Sherlock_  
Characters: Anderson, John Watson, Sherlock Holmes  
Word Count: 1,123  
Rating: PG  
A/N: AU after _The Reichenbach Fall_  
Warnings: n/a  
Summary: Sherlock wears out his welcome in less than a week.

_I have been told that you’re going to reimburse me for anything Sherlock destroys while he’s staying here. A_

**Ah. Worn out his welcome already? It has only been 3 days. MH**

_He has ruined my kettle. He’s blown up the microwave. There’s something disgusting oozing in the drawer in the refrigerator. And he’s somehow managed to make all of my pairs of socks vanish. All of them! A_

_If he and John don’t start speaking again, I might kill him for real. A_

**I’ll see what I can do, but some things are even beyond me. MH**

\---

A shriek from the main part of the flat shook me from my sleep. It took me a moment to register the scream had been female. Sherlock had probably left the television on again and wandered off. I ran a hand over my face as I staggered out of my bedroom.

Sherlock had been with me for five days. If he stayed any longer I was going to throw him out on his ear; he could find someone else to drive insane. I muttered a variety of curses as I walked over to the television. Judging by the image on the screen, the shrieking woman was part of a bad science fiction film. I grabbed the remote and turned it off.

When I turned around, I realized it wasn’t Sherlock on the sofa. I found myself staring at the slumbering form of John Watson. His head was resting at an angle that was going to be very painful come morning. I did a quick glace around the flat. There was no sign of Sherlock.

“John?” He murmured something. “John, you should go sleep in the bedroom or you’re going to be sore when you get up.”

John’s eyes popped open. He stared at me for a moment before sitting up with a groan. “Did I fall asleep?”

“Apparently.” I sat down next to him. “Any idea where Sherlock is?”

“He’s probably bothering Lestrade. I gave him a cold case as a bit of an apology for punching him in the face.” He looked at the clock. “No one should have to deal with Sherlock at three in the morning.”

I chuckled. “I assume the two of you are speaking again?”

“More or less.” John made a face. “I tried to keep it down because he said you were sleeping.” He glanced towards the kitchen. “You’re probably going to want to sterilize and clean everything once he gets the rest of his things tomorrow. Your kitchen is starting to look like mine used to. What on earth did he do to the kettle?”

“I honestly have no idea. I came home and it was that shape and color. He kept scowling at it, as if it had disappointed him in some way.” Sherlock refused to let me throw it away. Since it was now totally useless to me he could take it with him when he left.

John sighed and it sounded like it came all the way from his toes. “I feel like I owe you an apology.”

“It’s fine.”

“I was just so damn angry.” John took a deep breath. “I was angry at myself for not being able to stop him from jumping. I was angry at Mycroft for giving Moriarty information. I was angry at Lestrade for not putting a stop to the investigation as soon as it was suggested. I was angry at the press for all those horrible stories and lies they published. I was angry at Moriarty for causing the mess to begin with. Then I saw you and Donovan talking at the back of the room. You were the perfect target.”

I hadn’t even noticed he was there until he was shouting my name. As soon as I turned, he punched me in the stomach. It knocked the wind out of me and I doubled over in pain. He was getting ready to hit me again when Lestrade came over. It took both Lestrade and Mycroft to pull John away from me. Sally attempted to help me up, but I waved her back. As soon as I could stand and I was able to breathe without gasping, I went home. I didn’t even bother going to the cemetery.

“Part of me is still angry, you know?” He gave me a very small smile. “Not so much at you any longer. I’m still angry at him. I understand why he did what he did. I do. I just...”

“John, he wouldn’t have done this before he met you.” John seemed doubtful. “I’m serious. You changed him. He actually cares about someone other than himself. He sacrificed himself for others. If someone had told me Sherlock Holmes was going to do something like that back when I first met him, I would have laughed in their faces and said it was impossible.”

“I just wish I could have helped him so he wasn’t so alone.” His hand clenched into a fist. “I would have done anything, you know?”

“Yeah, I do.” We sat in silence for a few minutes. “He was never completely alone. He called me once while he was out there. Did he tell you that?” John made a humming noise. I decided that was confirmation. “I didn’t hear from him again for months. I had no idea if he was alive. I think that was the first time I’ve ever been overly concerned about him.”

John looked like he was about to tell me something, but was interrupted by the door flying open. Sherlock came in with a huge smile on his face. He also had wads of crimson splattered tissues stuffed up both nostrils.

Closing his eyes, I heard John count to five under his breath. When he opened them, he shot Sherlock a glare. “This is why you shouldn’t pester people at three in the morning, Sherlock.”

“I solved his case in less than an hour.” Sherlock did a little twirl. “You’d think he’d be a bit more grateful.”

“You should probably make sure you don’t have a broken nose.” I shifted over on the sofa in case Sherlock wanted to sit down.

“I’m fine.” Sherlock waved a hand. “He didn’t break it.”

John got to his feet. “Loo. Now.” When Sherlock didn’t move, John grabbed him by the arm and led him down the hall, leaving me alone on the sofa.

I rubbed my temple before getting up. As I passed by the loo, I told them I was going back to bed. I heard John telling Sherlock to hold still while Sherlock explained in great detail how he’d solved the case. I grinned. It looked like things were getting back to normal.


End file.
